Black-tailed Prairie Dog

Black-tailed prairie dogs are highly social, burrowing ground squirrels found in the shortgrass and mixedgrass prairie of the Great Plains, from southern Canada to northern Mexico. They live in large colonies called towns, some of which historically ranked among the largest animal settlements in North America, spanning many square miles. The name comes from a black-tipped tail and a sharp, bark-like alarm call, and the species carries real ecological weight as a keystone species — its burrow systems shelter numerous other animals, including burrowing owls, while the prairie dogs themselves serve as key prey for badgers and birds of prey.